By Dina Novarr –
Here we go again. As of this writing, the federal government has shut down. Lawmakers have dug into partisan trenches and essential services have ground to a halt. Meanwhile, our Mobster-in-Chief is more interested in exacting revenge against states that voted against him than he is in trying to lead our country. During these troubling moments, I am inspired by a shot, neat, representing America’s bluest states. Meet “The Three Blue States,” an alternative whiskey reinterpretation of the “Three Wise Men” shot, except I have swapped out corporate whiskey for artisanal American spirits. In times we are blue, drink from those who vote blue.
The original Three Wise Men united Jim Beam, Jack Daniel’s, and Johnnie Walker in a throat-burning trinity of mass-market whiskey. But this shutdown-inspired version tells a different story—one of innovation, craftsmanship, and the democratic strongholds fighting for the benefit of all Americans, red and blue.
Redwood Empire Pipe Dream (California) forms the foundation. This Northern California bourbon, crafted in the shadow of ancient redwoods, represents the Golden State’s progressive backbone. Governor Gavin Newsom, who has made a sport of torching Trump while casting the state as America’s great rebel, channels that same energy. And that energy is winning. “Pipe Dream” is a fitting name for a bourbon to drink during a political gridlock. It’s what bipartisan cooperation has become.
Koval Bourbon (Illinois) brings Chicago grit to the glass. Founded by a husband-and-wife team, Dr. Sonat Birnecker Hart and Dr. Robert Birnecker, who both hold Ph.D.s, pioneered this craft distillery in 2008, making it the first distillery in Chicago since the mid-1800s. Koval represents the kind of educated, forward-thinking entrepreneurship that seems to provoke an anaphylactic reaction from the current administration. In a shutdown where science agencies are furloughed and research grants are frozen, this doctorate-distilled bourbon feels especially reverent.
Hudson Whiskey “Do the Rye Thing” (New York) completes the trinity. From the Hudson Valley, this rye whiskey embodies New York’s no-nonsense attitude with its cheeky name that dares you to do what’s right. As NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani notes, “[O]vernight, Trump and Republicans in Congress shut down the federal government … because they’re determined to strip healthcare from millions of Americans, to enrich the billionaires they serve, to continue the assault on our rights. We must fight back.” He represents the kind of resistance to federal strong-arming that defines “doing the rye thing.”
Where the original Three Wise Men was a blunt instrument designed for collegiate oblivion, The Three Blue States offers unexpected nuance. The Redwood Empire brings notes of caramel and oak, softened by Northern California’s coastal fog influence. Koval’s grain-forward profile adds a distinctive spiciness—their use of organic grains and unique distilling process creates something that doesn’t taste like anything else in American whiskey. Hudson’s rye kicks in last with a peppery finish that lingers like an unresolved appropriations bill.
Together, these spirits create a shot that’s simultaneously smoother and more complex than its predecessor. It’s refined without being precious, powerful without being punishing—much like the states they represent.
As federal workers face furloughs, national parks close their gates, political leaders trade blame across cable news, and the Epstein Files remain tightly locked away, The Three Blue States offers liquid solidarity. It’s a toast to small-batch resilience, to Ph.D.-holding distillers choosing entrepreneurship over academia, to Hudson Valley farmers growing rye, to California’s entrepreneurial spirit.
This isn’t a drink for wisdom that the original Three Wise Men never claimed to offer. This is a drink for endurance—for those nights when the news cycle feels like a broken record, when “unprecedented” becomes precedented, and when you need to remember that, even during shutdowns, somewhere in America, someone is still making something beautiful.
So, here’s to the Three Blue States. May they flow more freely than federal appropriations bills, and may they remind us that, while Washington might be gridlocked, the American spirit distilled, drop by careful drop, still burns bright.
Please drink responsibly. The government shutdown might come back to haunt us.
Note: For those seeking a less intense experience, try “The Blue State Highball”—equal parts of all three whiskeys, topped with club soda and a lemon twist. Democracy doesn’t always have to burn going down.
Equal parts (½ oz each): Redwood Empire Pipe Dream Bourbon
Koval Bourbon
Hudson Whiskey “Do The Rye Thing”
Combine in a shot glass. No chaser. No apologies.
Serve at room temperature, ideally while waiting for Congress to return from recess.
San Francisco-based Dina Novarr enjoys sharing her passion for fine wines, spirits, non-alcoholic craft beverages, and more with others.
Cocktails with Dina
Published on October 9, 2025
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